Tyler Blevins, or "Ninja," is the first pro gamer to appear on the cover of ESPN Magazine. This is huge news, both in the world of sports, and in the world of video games. Sports fans probably won't like this, but fans of both sports and eSports will love it. I am a huge fan of baseball and football. My favorite teams are the White Sox and Packers. What many people don't know, is that I am also a big fan of the OWL, or the "Overwatch League." I am a big supporter of the Los Angeles Gladiators, that is until a Chicago team comes around. Overwatch is another part of the eSports world, and personally, I love that the two worlds are finally colliding.
Video gamers have always gotten a bad rap for being "nerds," but the tides are changing. Gamer's are no longer treated like nerds, and many of us are becoming role models for other people. People like "Ninja" from "Fortnite," or "xQc" from "Overwatch" are raking in huge numbers for their respective games. They both stream on "Twitch" and are very entertaining to watch. "Ninja" is the most popular streamer of all time. For those non-gamers, you may know "Ninja" from his stream that included Drake, Travis Scott, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. He raked in the viewers that night and eventually reached over 600,000 views during one point in his stream. He is by far the best-known pro gamer of all time and it's because of his talents and personality as a gamer.
"Ninja" primarily plays "Fortnite" which is the most popular game at the moment. To give you a reference of how good he is, I have 10 solo wins on "Fortnite," and "Ninja has 1559. He is god-like on the game and scares people with his crazy tactics. He always finds weird ways to win games and makes it look easy. His personality is also crazy. The dude has blue hair and changes the color of his hair all the time. He is extremely down to earth and shares a lot about his personal life. "Ninja" is also a fan of football. His favorite team is the Detroit Lions, and his wife's favorite team is the Green Bay Packers. Needless to say, she's right, but I digress. Ninja even appeared at Lollapalooza in August. He is extremely popular and has the views to back it up.
But what does "Ninja," and him appearing on a cover of a magazine even mean. Well, it means eSports, and its players, are here and ready to take the spotlight. ESPN and the sports world obviously see the profitability of eSports, because sports owners are buying into teams. The "Overwatch League" was streaming on ESPN 3, and will eventually be played on NBC next season. "Ninja" is just the first step in many to come for the eSports world. I walk around in eSports gear like I do in Packers gear and have the same conversations as I'd do with normal sports. This is no longer just a hobby anymore, it's becoming a way of life. Fuck the thought of "gaming is an addiction" because it's bull shit. If that's true, better make football, baseball, and other sports players addicts, because they make their lives revolve around their sport. "Ninja" has done a great job of getting gamer's mainstream, now it's just time for everyone else in the field to get involved. eSports, here we come!
